From INDOPACOM to PACOM: Is There a Strategic Backstory?

From INDOPACOM to PACOM: Is There a Strategic Backstory?

August 4, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the Pentagon's decision to revert INDOPACOM to PACOM and its strategic implications.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Arzan Tarapore, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. They unpack the Pentagon's decision to revert the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) name back to Pacific Command (PACOM). They explore the strategic and political rationale behind the change; its implications for security dynamics in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific; and what it reveals about U.S. conceptions of the Indo-Pacific as an operational theatre in U.S. defence planning. 

People in this episode

Host: Mike

Guest: Dr Arzan Tarapore

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hoover Institution, European University Institute, Pentagon

Places: United States, Indian Ocean, Western Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Florence, Italy

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